IFTLE 579: Workforce Development - SCALE

The Scalable Asymmetric Lifecycle Engagement (SCALE) program is the nation’s preeminent workforce development effort, funded by the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Trusted and Assured Microelectronics program and managed by the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division.

SCALE has a mission to bolster next-generation workforce development to bring the United States back to prominence in global microelectronics research and manufacturing. SCALE is the preeminent U.S. program for semiconductor workforce development in the defense sector.

In late August, Purdue University announced that the SCALE microelectronics workforce development program received more than $19 million in funding from the Department of Defense to strengthen existing efforts in key research areas and to add new academic partners. The second installment of the DoD’s funding enhances efforts in areas including radiation-hardened microelectronics and trusted artificial intelligence and expands student training, continuing education, and dissemination. It includes $3.8 million for Purdue, $5 million for Indiana University, and $1.6 million for Vanderbilt University (Figure 1).

At Purdue University, the SCALE program — directed by Peter Bermel, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering — connects Purdue Engineering faculty with 14 other universities, the DOD, NASA, Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) labs, and the defense industry to create a microelectronics workforce focused on meeting national security requirements.

Led by Purdue University, funded by the DoD, and managed by NSWC Crane, SCALE facilitates a different approach to training highly skilled U.S. microelectronics engineers, hardware designers, and manufacturing experts, ensuring U.S. leadership in this important area.

SCALE provides unique courses, mentoring, internship matching, and targeted research projects for college students interested in five microelectronics specialty areas: radiation-hardening, heterogeneous integration/advanced packaging, system-on-a-chip (SoC), embedded system security/trusted AI, and supply chain awareness. SCALE provides both introductory and advanced microelectronics in these areas.

Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in SCALE get mentoring, internship, and research opportunities at leading companies, universities, and federal research organizations that are part of the network.

SCALE Partners

SCALE engages with more than 70 public-private partners, including universities, government agencies and organizations, and industry partners including:

University Partners

Air Force Institute of Technology
Arizona State University
Brigham Young University
Colorado-Boulder
Georgia Institute of Technology
Indiana University
Morgan State University
New Mexico State University
Notre Dame University
Ohio State University
Purdue University (Lead)
Saint Louis University
SUNY-Binghamton
Texas A&M University
University of California-Berkeley
University of Florida
Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory
Vanderbilt University
MIT Lincoln Labs
Draper Labs

Government Partners

Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC)
Air Force Nuclear Weapons Command (AFNWC)
Air Force Research Lab-Space Vehicles Directorate (AFRL/RV)
Department of Energy National Nuclear Security Administration (DOE/NNSA)
Missile Defense Agency (MDA)
Naval Research Laboratories
NSWC-Crane
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)
Office of the Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering – Trusted & Assured Microelectronics Program [OUSD T&AM]
Sandia National Laboratory
Space Systems Command (SSC)
U.S. Navy Strategic Systems Program
U.S. Air Force & Air Force Materiel Command
U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command
White Sands Missile Range (SVAD)

Industry Partners